NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Marian University men’s volleyball (11-8, 4-3 NACC) had leads late in two of the three sets but were swept by No. 7 North Central (Ill.) 25-21, 28-26, and 25-19.
- The Sabres jumped all over the Cardinals to open the match taking a 7-1 lead in the first set.
- NCC cut that deficit down to as small as two but the Sabres still held a 19-16 lead.
- The Cardinals then took over the end of the set outscoring Marian 9-2 to take the opener.
- Using that momentum, NCC was able to open with an 8-4 lead in the second.
- A 5-1 run from Marian shortly after, however, put the Sabres ahead 14-13.
- After North Central (Ill.) took a 20-18 lead, Marian answered with a 6-3 run to go ahead 24-23.
- The Sabres were unable to convert the set-point opportunity with NCC converting its second chance to go ahead 2-0.
- The Cardinals once again took an early lead to start the third at 11-6.
- Marian was able to trim its deficit to as small as four but the Cardinals were able to secure the sweep.
- Both offenses had strong showings with Marian recording 33 kills off of a .206 hitting percentage.
- The Sabres also held an edge at the net with seven blocks to only six for NCC.
- This was the third match this season that Marian faced an opponent receiving votes in the national poll, 0-3 record in those matches.
